These summaries are usually heavy on the sports. After a weekend like the one just passed, that is problematic. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, good happened for teams I follow over the past three days. Just a reminder that sports are terrible and I\u2019m dumb for letting them hold such large sway over my life and mood. You people who waltz blissfully through your days without being affected by the result of a game have it right.<\/p>\n
So, I\u2019ll try to keep these brief.<\/p>\n
No Hunter Dickinson, no Rylen Griffen, no Shak Moore. So you couldn\u2019t expect too much facing a hungry Arkansas team in John Calipari\u2019s first competitive appearance as the Hogs\u2019 head coach. You know what, though? It would have been nice if the guys who did play didn\u2019t, mostly, play like ass. If juniors and seniors weren\u2019t totally out-played by freshmen and sophomores. If this more athletic lineup that could shoot actually looked athletic and hit some shots.<\/p>\n
You can\u2019t read too much into these exhibitions, especially when KU\u2019s roster was limited and there was the added significance that this one had to the home crowd. And, honestly, I think Bill Self wanted the team to play poorly so he can show them how far they need to go. I guess we\u2019ll find out in two weeks against North Carolina whether the message was received.<\/p>\n
Lucy + Charlie Brown = the KU football experience.<\/p>\n
A dropped touchdown pass. Fielding a kickoff at the one yard line and stepping out of bounds, followed immediately by a safety and then a Kansas State touchdown thanks to a short field. A missed PAT. Not being able to get a first down in the closing moments, K-State kicking a long-ass field goal, then not being able to recognize\/deal with the Wildcats blitzing on every down of KU\u2019s final possession. Then, the saddest moment in recent KU football history: Jalon Daniels fumbling while valiantly-if-hopelessly scrambling to try to keep the game alive.<\/p>\n
All of this was 100% predictable to anyone who has been a KU football fan for decades. In fact, we should start printing BINGO cards of random stupid shit just to track the impressive ways the Jayhawks find to blow games.<\/p>\n
Of course what really sucks about all of this is Saturday\u2019s game was right there to win. Change any two of those moments above, the Jayhawks break their 15-year losing streak to the Cats and maybe save their season. But it\u2019s KU football and, well, you know\u2026<\/p>\n
That weird, winning percentage list of KU\u2019s losses this year now shows that a team has a roughly one in 50,000 chance to go 0\u20136 based on the Jayhawks\u2019 highest win probability moment in each game. Wild. And infuriating. KU has now lost by six, three, four, eleven, four, and two points.<\/p>\n
Sunday might be the moment that broke the Anthony Richardson experiment, at least temporarily. It started with the usual stuff. A gorgeous, 69-yard TD pass squeezed in between over a dozen bad balls (He was 2\u201315 pasing in the first half). Easy throw after easy throw bungled, with the occasional beautiful ball downfield mixed in.<\/p>\n
Then, in the midst of a key drive in the third quarter, after scrambling madly on consecutive plays, Richardson tapped his helmet and went to the sidelines before a third down play. Oh no, another injury.<\/p>\n
But, wait, he wasn\u2019t injured. He was just exhausted after running for his life on consecutive plays. So he checked himself out of the game.<\/p>\n
Yeah, this is not going to go over well with Colts fans.<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t matter that Richardson returned on the next series and threw three of the prettiest balls you will ever see, one broken up on a great play, the second dropped, the third caught and initially ruled a touchdown before review put the ball at the one. Folks here are going to see the wild inconsistency and add taking himself off the field like a middle schooler and lose whatever patience they had with Richardson.<\/p>\n
The Colts have been losing close games. The playoffs should be in reach. Joe Flacco may not have the long-term upside AR has, but he also doesn\u2019t miss the easy throws and make the huge mistakes the starter makes. Eventually the Colts will make the switch, it will likely be too late, they\u2019ll punt the Richardson referendum down the road another year, and the front office will be facing some serious heat over their jobs in the winter.<\/p>\n
The Colts have now lost by three, three, four, and two points.<\/p>\n
Whoa.<\/p>\n
Destroyed by the Knicks Friday night. Not a surprise. You knew New York would be out for blood after last year\u2019s Eastern Conference semifinals, in which the Pacers anhiliated them on their home court in game seven. Tyrese Haliburton scoring more than zero points would have been nice.<\/p>\n
Then losing to Philadelphia, who was playing without both Joel Embiid and Paul George, at home Sunday. That\u2019s a much bigger deal than losing to the Knicks in a revenge game. We had family over so I missed almost all of this one. Hali missed two free throws that would have tied the game late in overtime. He\u2019s not off to a great start.<\/p>\n
I am officially Concerned about the Pacers. They travel to Orlando tonight, not a team you want to face when you are struggling. Then they get Boston, at New Orleans, at Dallas. They better tighten shit up quick.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t necessarily a bad moment for me personally, but the Fever announced Sunday morning that they were not bringing coach Christie Sides back next year. She got a lot of heat early in the season, when the team looked disorganized and confused. But then she got a lot of credit when the team rounded into form and made a playoff run.<\/p>\n
Normally I would think her dismissal had to do with player dissatisfaction.<\/p>\n
However, the Fever hired a new president and GM since the team exited the playoffs. Because of that, I think this is more just a philosophy deal, a disconnect between Sides and her new bosses. Like half the league has fired their coaches in the past month, which seems a little weird.<\/p>\n
Oh, I guess I owe S\u2019s Hoosiers some props. They destroyed Nebraska a week ago, while we were in Colorado, and that was the first moment I thought they were legit. Saturday, after hosting ESPN Game Day for the first time, they took care of Washington to go to 8\u20130 and sit tied for first in the Big Ten. An absolutely astounding turnaround. And in the perfect year, with the expanded playoff.<\/p>\n
They travel to Michigan State this week, host Michigan next week, then have a bye before they go to Ohio State. Two-and-one and a home playoff game is very much in play.<\/p>\n
It is sad that the two best sports moments of my weekend came from teams I don\u2019t really care about.<\/p>\n
Freddie Freeman\u2019s 10th inning, walk-off, grand slam homer in game one of the World Series was an incredible moment. I was thankful I switched over just in time to see it live. Glad it happened to the Yankees, too.<\/p>\n
Then Washington\u2019s Hail Mary to beat Chicago Sunday was also fantastic. We had this game on, but with family over I could only keep one eye on it. Seemed kind of wild up until I was finally able to sit down and watch for the last minute or so, which took that wildness to another level. I legit screamed when Noah Brown caught the tipped ball for the win. Our neighbor is a Bears fan. I should check on him.<\/p>\n
L and her man went to a party Friday night. She dressed as Catwoman, he as Batman. They were cute. They couldn\u2019t stay long since she had practice early Saturday. I think they were both fine with that, as neither of them are into the party scene much at this point. I\u2019m not a prude or anything, but I legit don\u2019t understand how so many parents let high school kids go wild in their homes.<\/p>\n
Saturday one of S\u2019s sisters and her husband hosted their annual party, which is much more small kid centric than it used to be. Or at least our kids are bigger now so we\u2019re not in the target audience of the gathering. We made an appearance, ate some chili, laughed at the little kids\u2019 constumes, had a drink or two, then left when the pumpkin carving nonsense started. When our girls were the little ones that always seemed like when things went a little off the rails. A couple of our nephews were already trending towards problematic when we were walking out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
These summaries are usually heavy on the sports. After a weekend like the one just passed, that is problematic. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, good happened for teams I follow over the past three days. Just a reminder that sports are terrible and I\u2019m dumb for letting them hold such large sway over my life and mood. You people who waltz blissfully through your days without being affected by the result of a game have it right. So, I\u2019ll try to keep these brief. KU Hoops Exhibition No Hunter Dickinson, no Rylen Griffen, no Shak Moore. So you couldn\u2019t expect too much facing a hungry Arkansas team in John Calipari\u2019s first competitive appearance as the Hogs\u2019 head coach. You know what, though? It would have been nice if the guys who did play didn\u2019t, mostly, play like ass. If juniors and seniors weren\u2019t totally out-played by freshmen and sophomores. If this more athletic lineup that could shoot actually looked athletic and hit some shots. You can\u2019t read too much into these exhibitions, especially when KU\u2019s roster was limited and there was the added significance that this one had to the home crowd. And, honestly, I think Bill Self wanted the team to play poorly so he can show them how far they need to go. I guess we\u2019ll find out in two weeks against North Carolina whether the message was received. KU Football Lucy + Charlie Brown = the KU football experience. A dropped touchdown pass. Fielding a kickoff at the one yard line and stepping out of bounds, followed immediately by a safety and then a Kansas State touchdown thanks to a short field. A missed PAT. Not being able to get a first down in the closing moments, K-State kicking a long-ass field goal, then not being able to recognize\/deal with the Wildcats blitzing on every down of KU\u2019s final possession. Then, the saddest moment in recent KU football history: Jalon Daniels fumbling while valiantly-if-hopelessly scrambling to try to keep the game alive. All of this was 100% predictable to anyone who has been a KU football fan for decades. In fact, we should start printing BINGO cards of random stupid shit just to track the impressive ways the Jayhawks find to blow games. Of course what really sucks about all of this is Saturday\u2019s game was right there to win. Change any two of those moments above, the Jayhawks break their 15-year losing streak to the Cats and maybe save their season. But it\u2019s KU football and, well, you know\u2026 That weird, winning percentage list of KU\u2019s losses this year now shows that a team has a roughly one in 50,000 chance to go 0\u20136 based on the Jayhawks\u2019 highest win probability moment in each game. Wild. And infuriating. KU has now lost by six, three, four, eleven, four, and two points. Colts Sunday might be the moment that broke the Anthony Richardson experiment, at least temporarily. It started with the usual stuff. A gorgeous, 69-yard TD pass squeezed in between over a dozen bad balls (He was 2\u201315 pasing in the first half). Easy throw after easy throw bungled, with the occasional beautiful ball downfield mixed in. Then, in the midst of a key drive in the third quarter, after scrambling madly on consecutive plays, Richardson tapped his helmet and went to the sidelines before a third down play. Oh no, another injury. But, wait, he wasn\u2019t injured. He was just exhausted after running for his life on consecutive plays. So he checked himself out of the game. Yeah, this is not going to go over well with Colts fans. It didn\u2019t matter that Richardson returned on the next series and threw three of the prettiest balls you will ever see, one broken up on a great play, the second dropped, the third caught and initially ruled a touchdown before review put the ball at the one. Folks here are going to see the wild inconsistency and add taking himself off the field like a middle schooler and lose whatever patience they had with Richardson. The Colts have been losing close games. The playoffs should be in reach. Joe Flacco may not have the long-term upside AR has, but he also doesn\u2019t miss the easy throws and make the huge mistakes the starter makes. Eventually the Colts will make the switch, it will likely be too late, they\u2019ll punt the Richardson referendum down the road another year, and the front office will be facing some serious heat over their jobs in the winter. The Colts have now lost by three, three, four, and two points. Pacers Whoa. Destroyed by the Knicks Friday night. Not a surprise. You knew New York would be out for blood after last year\u2019s Eastern Conference semifinals, in which the Pacers anhiliated them on their home court in game seven. Tyrese Haliburton scoring more than zero points would have been nice. Then losing to Philadelphia, who was playing without both Joel Embiid and Paul George, at home Sunday. That\u2019s a much bigger deal than losing to the Knicks in a revenge game. We had family over so I missed almost all of this one. Hali missed two free throws that would have tied the game late in overtime. He\u2019s not off to a great start. I am officially Concerned about the Pacers. They travel to Orlando tonight, not a team you want to face when you are struggling. Then they get Boston, at New Orleans, at Dallas. They better tighten shit up quick. Fever Coaching Change This isn\u2019t necessarily a bad moment for me personally, but the Fever announced Sunday morning that they were not bringing coach Christie Sides back next year. She got a lot of heat early in the season, when the team looked disorganized and confused. But then she got a lot of credit when the team rounded into form and made a playoff run. Normally I would think her dismissal had to do with player dissatisfaction. However, the Fever hired a new president and GM since the team exited the playoffs. Because of that, I think this is more just a philosophy deal, a disconnect between Sides and her new bosses. Like half the league has fired their coaches in the past month, which seems a little weird. IU Oh, I guess I owe S\u2019s Hoosiers some props. They destroyed Nebraska a week ago, while we were in Colorado, and that was the first moment I thought they were legit. Saturday, after hosting ESPN Game Day for the first time, they took care of Washington to go to 8\u20130 and sit tied for first in the Big Ten. An absolutely astounding turnaround. And in the perfect year, with the expanded playoff. They travel to Michigan State this week, host Michigan next week, then have a bye before they go to Ohio State. Two-and-one and a home playoff game is very much in play. Big Moments It is sad that the two best sports moments of my weekend came from teams I don\u2019t really care about. Freddie Freeman\u2019s 10th inning, walk-off, grand slam homer in game one of the World Series was an incredible moment. I was thankful I switched over just in time to see it live. Glad it happened to the Yankees, too. Then Washington\u2019s Hail Mary to beat Chicago Sunday was also fantastic. We had this game on, but with family over I could only keep one eye on it. Seemed kind of wild up until I was finally able to sit down and watch for the last minute or so, which took that wildness to another level. I legit screamed when Noah Brown caught the tipped ball for the win. Our neighbor is a Bears fan. I should check on him. Halloween Fiestas L and her man went to a party Friday night. She dressed as Catwoman, he as Batman. They were cute. They couldn\u2019t stay long since she had practice early Saturday. I think they were both fine with that, as neither of them are into the party scene much at this point. I\u2019m not a prude or anything, but I legit don\u2019t understand how so many parents let high school kids go wild in their homes. Saturday one of S\u2019s sisters and her husband hosted their annual party, which is much more small kid centric than it used to be. Or at least our kids are bigger now so we\u2019re not in the target audience of the gathering. We made an appearance, ate some chili, laughed at the little kids\u2019 constumes, had a drink or two, then left when the pumpkin carving nonsense started. When our girls were the little ones that always seemed like when things went a little off the rails. A couple of our nephews were already trending towards problematic when we were walking out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[31,67,56,73,41,70,58],"class_list":["post-15829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-basketball","tag-football","tag-holidays","tag-indiana-fever","tag-indiana-pacers","tag-indianapolis-colts","tag-kansas-jayhawks"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15829"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15829\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15831,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15829\/revisions\/15831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}